Many possible storage locations are either not being used or are underutilized because they are situated in locations that are difficult for people to access, such as upper kitchen and garage cabinets, upper shelves in pantries and walk-in closets, and upper shelves of storage racks. Further, many residential and commercial structures with high ceilings could add a lot of storage space without sacrificing floor space if there was a convenient way to access areas above the locations that are readily reachable by typical people.
Existing designs for retractable storage systems primarily employ one of two approaches—a pantographic framework or linkage arms mounted to a shelf, or fixed vertical guides that extend downward.
The most prevalent design of a retractable storage system uses a pantographic framework or linkage arms pivotally mounted to a shelf or shelves which swing the shelves outward and downward for more convenient access. However, when used with tall moveable shelves or cabinets, this system will cause the retractable shelf or cabinet to extend a considerable distance out from the front edge of the fixed cabinet or shelf as the unit is being lowered. This is because the retractable shelf or cabinet moves about the linkage arms in an arc as it is lowered. As a result, this design is not suitable for tight areas, such as a hallway closet having a front header wall section above the access door, as modifications would lead to either less downward motion or a reduction in the usable storage area. Further, in pantographic motion or linkage arm type designs, the bottom shelf is necessarily truncated or raised with limited usage of space underneath it, so as to provide clearance during movement of the retractable portion from the front edge of the top shelf on which the system may be mounted. This leads to the loss of critical storage space and makes this system particularly unsuitable for deep storage units.
The other prevalent design of a retractable storage system employs fixed vertical guides that extend from the front edge of the device down to the lowest point that may be reached by the moveable section. While this approach eliminates many of the shortcomings of the pantographic and linkage arm designs, the use of long vertical guides extending down from the front of the device is impractical—potentially limiting the functionality of any spaces underneath the device, adversely impacting the aesthetics of the installation, and complicating the ability to easily retrofit the device to existing structures with minimal impact. In addition, in places like closets, where space is tight, this design may not fit.
Thus there remains a need for a retractable storage system capable of accommodating a variety of heights and depths, maneuver through tight geometry, and functioning without the use of vertical guide rails extending down from the front of the unit or linkage arms.